CH 92

The season was hot rather than warm and I was running under a clear sky with no clouds.

I pushed through the main street that stretched straight to the gates of the royal capital, aiming for the bronze statue of the former king where Claire was waiting.

All the people passing by turned to look at me and gave me a suspicious look. I hurried my steps to get rid of these strange looks.

……Really, no more!

The water droplets were unusually shimmering, as if tears were mixed in with the sweat that was splattered on them. It’s no wonder people look at me suspiciously. That’s partly because I’m running, but it’s not really.

I’m currently dressed in a half-naked tank top and shorts that I’ve torn off from my few personal clothes. The only reason I’m running is because I can’t walk slowly with people looking at me strangely.

I’m really embarrassed. I want to stop now.

I was terribly conflicted before I went outside. But I had no choice but to do it in order to lose Claire’s favor. My life is at stake here. It’s better to be humiliated than to be destroyed.

When I thought about it, my satisfaction overcame my shame, and I smiled naturally.

I would never have thought that I would wear something like this. The reaction of the people around me was positive in a bad way, in fact, even I was taken aback by it. I had planned so many things for this date, but maybe I didn’t need them.

As I was running with a grin on my face, I saw a statue. There was something strange about the atmosphere of the people around the statue. Everyone seemed to have stopped and was standing still.

I followed their gaze and saw a woman wearing a white dress and a hat with a large white flower bud. The woman’s glossy black hair shone against the white dress, giving the impression of purity. She looked as beautiful as a painting, and it made sense that she was monopolizing people’s attention.

As I approached the woman, I could see her face clearly and stopped again. I knew it was Claire. I really don’t want to go.

It was not hard to imagine what would happen if someone dressed in a perverted way talked to her in such a high-profile situation. However, perhaps it was because I hesitated to go outside, but the time for the meeting was approaching, and I had to go on foot.

I walked up, raised my hand lightly, and called out to her.

“Hey, Claire.”

The area was buzzing.

“What’s with the guy?”

“What’s with the outfit?”

“He looked like he was talking to that beautiful woman.”

“Has the pervert lost his mind over her beauty?”

I’m not talking about the various slanders……against me, but straightforward opinions.

Yeah. I want to disappear. If there is a hole, I want to jump in it. I want to be completely invisible.

“Qu, Chris…….”

There was a pause after I called out to her, and then she called my name. Claire’s beautiful eyes, hidden behind her hat, widened and I could see that she was upset.

As expected, Claire stiffens and there’s a slight pause again.

Well, that’s what usually happens, isn’t it? I guess this is the end of the road. Let’s go home as soon as possible.

But when Claire’s stiffness lifted, she looked very different from what I expected. She had red on her cheeks and a fist over her mouth as she glanced at my legs and arms.

“What? No, no, no, no, no, no, no!”

“I wasn’t looking! I’m not a shameless person!”

What kind of reaction is that, like a junior high school boy trying to hide the fact that he saw a pornographic book?

The people around us are also shocked…….

“Um……don’t you think I look funny?”

“No, it looks good on you! Anything Chris wears looks good…….”

Oh no, Claire’s eyes are too piercing. I don’t want her to compliment my outfit.

I’m not M, but I want to hear him say, “You’re gross,” “Get lost,” and “I’m disappointed.”

Well, I still have a lot of plans for the date. I calm myself down and tell myself that I’ve only failed at one of them.

I take a deep breath and ask Claire to leave the place as soon as possible.

“Shall we go then?”

Claire hesitated, and then smiled.

“Oh!”

“Let’s go to lunch first…….”

I started walking, and Claire walked alongside me. Then she started to wander around, trying to cover me unnaturally. Then, she started to walk around me like a satellite.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking at the surroundings.”

No, no. I’m still getting the same strange looks from earlier, and Claire’s unnatural movements are making things even worse.

Wait a minute. That’s right! She’s embarrassed by my outfit for some reason! She finally feels embarrassed to walk with me!

It was only a short time before I was completely overcome with emotion. Claire continued with unexpected words.

“It’s Chris’s fault! It’s because you dress so provocatively that the girls are……”

“……Yeah. It’s hard to walk, so we should stop right now.”

Oh man…….It’s too flowery.

Today’s date. Is it really going to work?

At the very least, I have to find a weakness.